NAMM 2011: Plain White T's hit the Taylor stage

One thing is usually a sure bet at NAMM: Taylor Guitars will secure a highly impressive performance roster for its upstairs suite at the Anaheim Convention Center. A memorable past appearance from Taylor Swift immediately comes to mind.

Frequently boasting lush, Beach Boys-style harmonies, Plain White T's were a perfect fit for the Taylor acoustic stage Thursday afternoon. All five members of the Chicago pop-punk band were lined up on stools at the front of the stage to perform a half-hour set that opened with the romantic ballad “1, 2, 3, 4” and included such other alternative and pop radio hits as the ebullient “Our Time Now” and the sarcastic “Hate (I Really Don't Like You).”

On the latter, lead guitarist and singer Tim Lopez jokingly polled the medium-sized audience to see if there were any songwriters present. He offered some advice: “Try to not to write outside your vocal range like (frontman Tom Higgenson) did.”

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The quintet excelled on newer selections from its winsome latest effort Wonders of the Younger, released last month. Lopez handled lead vocals on the jaunty power pop-leaning “Rhythm of Love,” while current single “Boomerang” revisited mid-'60s Beatles territory with even more pristine harmonies. “Hey There Delilah,” the group's tender No. 1 hit from 2007, originally recorded in stripped down fashion, fit perfectly in this setting, too.

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